Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 116

Since that day, Reus did not come near me except when it was time to eat or sleep. But even then, I often avoided being with him for one reason or another, more days apart than together.

Still, despite my careless attitude, Reus never said a word. It was as if he was scared of punishment if he broke my words telling him to stay away, and he desperately avoided me.

This situation is very wrong. I’m the one who should feel awkward, not Reus. Yet, how dare I have any right to say anything…

But that doesn’t mean I’m confident enough to face Reus again.

“I got used to not seeing him, so I can’t live like before anymore…”

I was afraid he would get angry again without knowing the subject, and Reus was probably scared to say he was wrong.

Even though I knew we couldn’t live like this forever, I hated myself for doing nothing. I couldn’t push him away completely, but I didn’t have the courage to stand beside him boldly. I definitely couldn’t say out loud that I learned the truth about your parents’ death.

Will we keep living like this until the rebellion comes and we die together?

“I don’t want Reus to die…”

I was staring blankly out the window when I suddenly heard someone coming.

Reus was always very careful when approaching, so maybe today’s visitor was…

“Theron.”

“You don’t get surprised anymore.”

Theron sat down next to me naturally and leaned comfortably against the chair.

“What brings you here?”

“What else? You look so grim. That guy must have sent me.”

It was Reus who sent him. Even though Reus hated me being with Theron…

“What’s the matter?”

Theron gave me a sharp look, as if telling me to talk first. But I couldn’t decide how to start. Then suddenly, I remembered a conversation we had before on the cruise.

[“If you don’t know exactly, don’t try to know more. Just live like that. It’s not your fault. You’re not going back to Ivelle anyway, right?”]

Maybe Theron already guessed why I was like this. He knew we had been to the palace, and he always told me to run away before things got worse.

“So, what? What’s wrong now?”

“Theron, you know why I’m like this…”

My lips closed tightly, and I saw a surprised look on Theron’s face.

“I guess there’s no other reason you would be angry…”

“Does Reus know too?”

“Since you don’t say anything, I don’t know. Honestly, he looks like he doesn’t know. Maybe he’s just remembering when you two were not close…”

There was a short silence. Then Theron sighed and spoke again.

“So what nonsense did the emperor say that made you like this?”

I wanted to answer, but thinking about my father made tears come to my eyes. Just talking about it was too painful.

“My father… I mean, my father…”

It was hard even to tell Theron, so how could I say it to Reus?

“He caused the carriage accident… My parents died because of him…”

Theron cursed loudly as soon as he heard it. For a moment, I hoped maybe the emperor tricked me. But then Theron looked troubled, and my hope broke.

“The fact that the Count of Ivelle caused the carriage accident is true.”

Since I heard the truth from the emperor, I couldn’t stop thinking about the carriage accident. Because of that, my feelings were always between sadness and despair.

But when I heard Theron’s words, the despair became clear like the first time I heard about the accident. Tears kept flowing.

Theron, who had been silent for a moment, started speaking again.

“Have I told you how I met Reus?”

“No…”

“Before I tell you, let me correct one thing. It’s true the Count of Ivelle caused the carriage accident and that the Duchess died because of it.”

“But the Duke… is not Reus’s father.”

“But didn’t he die in the accident?”

“Have you heard that the body was damaged beyond recognition?”

Now that I think about it, I vaguely remember reading something about the Duke and Duchess’s carriage accident.

The Duchess was buried in the duchy, but the Duke’s body was never found. It was assumed that wild animals might have taken it.

“At the time, only the Duke’s arm was found. And do you know the strange thing? Someone purposely did that.”

My heart dropped. The thought that my father, the Count of Ivelle, did it made it hard to breathe. But Theron mentioned someone else.

“That was my father.”

“What?”

“He cut off the arm of a living man, so Reus’s father was not killed by the Count of Ivelle.”

I couldn’t understand what Theron was saying.

“So, not your father…”

“My father took the living Duke to the emperor after the accident. The Count of Ivelle only caused the accident.”

Theron’s tone was calm with no emotion, but I felt a deep sadness I couldn’t understand.

After a trembling sigh, Theron spoke again as if nothing happened.

“Even if I say this, it doesn’t erase the Count’s guilt or make you feel better.”

“But wrong things need to be fixed.”

Looking into Theron’s eyes, I realized this confession was not just to tell the truth, but to comfort me with his old story.

“Honestly, I don’t know how to make Reus pay for this. He says nothing and demands nothing, but… you know how those left behind feel. Even if it’s not our fault.”

Theron learned the truth about the Duke and Duchess’s death much earlier than me. He didn’t show many emotions, but he seemed no different from me now.

Should I separate my parents’ sins from myself? Am I just a sinner because I’m their child? Or am I a sinner by my very existence?

“I don’t know what Reus thinks about me since he doesn’t say it. Maybe he feels pain remembering the past, or maybe sometimes he hates me suddenly.”

“But I can say a few things for sure.”

“What are those…?”

“There’s more than one guilty person in this case. Both the Count of Ivelle and my father are sinners. So your father didn’t do all the wrong, and you don’t have to act like it’s all your fault because of your blood.”

“But…”

“Loelle, the one who should feel pain is someone else.”

I must have wanted to hear that from anyone because tears started flowing again without shame.

“And the real villain is the emperor. He’s the one trying to shake you using Reus’s father even now.”

Thanks to Theron, I knew this was not just my father’s fault. But being a sinner’s child didn’t change, so the tears of sadness soon turned to guilt.

“Yes. Even if we separate blame, it doesn’t change that Reus has no guilt.”

“But aside from guilt, it doesn’t change that we are not wrong. Feeling guilty is natural though.”

Theron finished as if this was the answer he found after a long time and stared at me.

“No matter what choice Reus makes, we should not stop him.”

That choice probably means revenge against the emperor and rebellion.

Even if Reus rebels and dies like in the original story… if that’s what he wants, I have no right to stop him.

It’s sad, but Theron was right. In this matter, we must accept whatever Reus decides.

“Thank you, Theron…”

It must have been a lonely fight for Theron too until he reached this conclusion. Yet, he shared his story and truly comforted me. He even said I don’t have to feel guilty anymore, even if he said it indirectly.

Of course, since it wasn’t said by the victim, it’s not a full pardon. Theron and I both knew that. But his comfort helped ease the pain that wasn’t mine.

“So stop struggling now. If you stay like this, Reus will be even more sad. Right?”

I gave an awkward smile, and Theron said,

“It’s funny telling you what to do in this kind of situation. But don’t leave him alone too long. Reus depends on you more than you think.”

“No matter what choice you make after this.”

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